Many worlds in one – Alex Vilenkin

Date: Thu. September 21st, 2006, 4:15 pm-5:15 pm
Location: Rockefeller 301

The new worldview that has emerged from recent developments in cosmology suggests that remote parts of the universe are in the state of explosive, accelerated expansion, called “inflation”. “Normal” regions, where inflation has ended, form islands in the ever-inflating sea. These “island universes” have a wide variety of physical properties and are constantly being produced. I will discuss the origin of the new worldview, its observational tests, and its bizarre implications.